T a k e n
by alchemyxautomail
Summary: When Winry is kidnapped in Xing and forced into the slave trade, how far will Ed go to rescue her? EdWin with a few other canon pairings mixed in. Rated M for sexual themes and violence!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **This is set after the ending of the manga - Al has his body back - yet Ed's taken to wearing his red coat combo again. because this girl likes it.

Rated M for sexual themes and violence although there's nothing really that explicit.  
This was inspired by the 2008 film Taken, btw!

* * *

**T a k e n **

It was normally her that saw him leaving, not the other way around.

And yet here he was, Edward Elric with his red coat swirling by his ankles, watching as her sunny smile and matching hair waved to him from a distance, bags by her feet and awaiting train by her side.

It was a weird feeling. He felt a certain overprotectiveness begin to spring up in his chest, growing with each hastily-taken step that he took towards her, until finally, he felt like a volcano waiting to explode.

His mechanic didn't seem to notice.

"Ed! I'm so glad you're here- have you seen Paninya? She ran off somewhere!" Her excited babble almost calmed him down, a sad smile aching across his face.

That was at least one thing; she wasn't going alone. He knew that her and Paninya had become good friends now, and they could watch each others' backs.

"Ed?" He froze, realising that he was still standing there, caught off guard.

"Oh, uh… No, sorry. I don't know where she is." He stretched his face again in an attempt to be convincing.

Instead, he only got those blue eyes of hers, searching his.

"You're worried… Why?" Her tone almost made him laugh- she sounded as concerned as he was! He wasn't the one gallivanting across the desert to an entirely unknown country…

Guilt stung uneasily at him, his fists clenching. He was such a _hypocrite_. After all, wasn't he the one who had spent the last few years running off everywhere, leaving her behind?

"Edward!" The blond flinched as he found that he'd been lost in his own thoughts again, forcing himself to concentrate.

"Don't yell at me!" He hastily carried on as she opened her mouth for a retort. "I just want you to stay safe. Okay? Both of you."

The answer made her irritation fade from her face and Winry smiled.

"We'll both be fine. We're grown up, remember? Not little kids anymore. Stop worrying so much!"

It was almost an automatic reaction for her to reach out and touch his arm, the one made renew – but it still sent tingles up his spine. The feeling of her fingers…

It was only because it had been automail for so long. Right? Right.

"Uh- of course. Just still be careful- you shouldn't be too long anyway, my leg might get messed up- or something." Ed babbled out a reply whilst his hand patted at her gently, forcing himself not to grab her hand and entwine those fingers of hers with his.

For a moment it was all too tempting but then her touch was slipped from his and he found himself comforting only air for a few seconds.

"You better not do anything to it!" Anger flashed over her face before wisping into light happiness again. "It's okay. We'll only be a week or so- promise."

Promises. That brought up memories – all the promises he'd made her, sometimes unspoken, sometimes unkept…

But there was something in her voice that told her childhood friend that he could trust her to keep her promises. Because Winry was just that kind of person.

Relief flooded into his chest and a proper smile finally found it's way onto his face.

"Alright. I'll see you soon."

His blonde mechanic nodded and her back inclined slightly to scoop up her luggage- then she stopped.

He was engulfed in her before he could even speak; her arms wrapped tightly round his neck and one hand buried only slightly in his hair, warmth ebbing into his cheeks.

Then his arms clutched at her waist and time seemed to stop- and start again, all too quickly.

"Winry! We need to get going-!" Paninya's voice floated over from in front of him and Ed's eyes shot open, pulling away from Winry like he'd burnt her, face flaming.

He prayed that neither of them would say anything – he didn't feel like his embarrassment levels could take it - but Winry only turned and picked up her bags; and for once, Paninya stayed silent, her eyebrows only giving away that she'd noticed something.

"See you soon, Ed! Look after your automail- oh and say bye to Al for me too!" Her hand raised in a wave as she boarded the train, her eyes locked in his- and then, all too soon, she was gone.

Edward Elric stayed and watched the smoke fade into the distance before he turned and steadily started to make his way back, hands in his pockets and mind deep in thought.

* * *

Winry watched as the train station faded out of sight before she leant back, closing her eyes against the breeze flooding in at the window, attempting to sort out her mind.

Excitement was bouncing around in her chest – she was going to Xing, of all places! Where she could discover the mechanics of new cultures and meet new people, try new things! – yet… part of her couldn't help but feel guilty as those golden eyes of his flashed in front of her face, full of worry.

She couldn't really understand why Ed was so concerned – it wasn't like this was her first time away from Resembool or anything, she'd spent the last few months working in Rush Valley. And she wasn't going alone- Paninya was about somewhere, most likely harassing someone about getting food or something – but she was loyal enough not to leave Winry lost or anything.

And why did she feel guilty? Didn't Ed deserve to know what it felt like, standing there whilst you watched someone you cared about deeply, travelling off into the unknown? Hadn't she done that so many times that she couldn't even count?

Somehow, she didn't think so.

The seat opposite her creaked and made her jump, glancing up to find Paninya's bright eyes studying her carefully.

"You've got the tickets, right Win?" Her tanned hand gestured into the air and Winry nodded, angling herself so she could reach her bag and pull out the two pieces of paper carefully.

"Got them!" Her force of habit took over as she straightened the tickets out, studying them.

She must have been pretty lucky to win that competition; for one, it was the easiest question ever –_ what are the standard metals for winter automail_ – and it was held in Rush Valley, the home of practically every single automail engineer alive! She was sure that probably the entire population had entered that competition, yet she'd won- two tickets for a train to Xing with paid accommodation and everything.

At first, she hadn't known who to pick to take with her. Her mind had flashed to Ed and Al – she was sure they could pay for themselves – but something had stopped her. She knew that they were planning to go to Xing one day anyway and she was sure that they wouldn't want to go the same places as her. Ed wouldn't even set foot near a beauty spa and would spend all of his time in the nearest library – and although she was sure that Al was up for anything, she knew that he'd want to visit Princess Mei sometime and part of her didn't want to interrupt that. Their relationship was private – despite the fact that it made her smile knowingly inside.

There were the people in Rush Valley – her friends - but then Paninya had discovered the tickets and she couldn't exactly say no as her friend babbled on about how she'd always wanted to go to Xing and explore and stuff- so that was it. Decided. They were off on a holiday, the both of them.

The train whistled overhead and Winry smiled, pushing all thoughts of Ed and what she was leaving behind out of her head for another time. Onwards to Xing!


	2. Chapter 2

The phone was really annoying him. Or rather, the silence of the phone was.

Every few seconds or so, he'd drag his eyes away from the words on the pages in front of him to study the contraption sitting on the table sitting there, willing it to ring so he could grab it and hear her voice.

He didn't understand why he was so jittery but it'd been several hours since he'd last saw his mechanic and he was getting worried. Shouldn't she have rung by now? She said she would, as soon as she reached the hotel…

"She'll ring, brother, don't worry." Al's quiet voice managed to catch his attention from across the room and said older brother glanced up, a slight frown on his face.

Ed sighed.

"Yeah… Just hate waiting." He slumped back in his seat, book resting against the knee of his crossed leg- and then jumped upright as the phone started trilling.

Her voice flooded through the other end, sending relief coursing through him.

"Hello?" She sounded happy- which made him smile.

"Hey, Win… How you doing? Everything okay?" He forced himself to relax again, leaning back against the chair and avoiding Al's knowing look from where he was sitting.

"It's great thanks! The hotel's nice and everything- our room's so big, almost like an apartment in itself really. Are you okay? And Al?" He betted she was playing with the phone cord right now- he kept seeing her doing that whenever she was on the phone. Ed's fingers started subconsciously doing the same and he watched them with a suspicious jolt before sighing, letting them do whatever.

"We're fine… It's really quiet around here." Not that their apartment at Central was anything but silent- yet it always seemed more lively whenever Winry was around. Like she brought a warmth to the place. Like sunshine…

"Really? I would have thought-"

Her sentence suddenly cut off, only the sound of her breathing audible.

Ed frowned, confused. "…Winry? Thought what?"

There was a moment and then she spoke again, her words hushed and hurried.

"Ed- I can hear noises… someone's in our room!-" He could hear her sharp gasp as he recognised Paninya's voice shouting and screaming in the background, causing him to sit upright.

"Winry- who is it? Who's there? Are you okay?" Ed's fingers clenched at the phone tightly, listening to her breathing quicken with fear.

"I don't know- oh god no, they've taken her! They've taken Paninya- Ed, they're coming-!" Her voice welled up with tears and his gaze hardened, hand shaking slightly.

"Okay, Win- where are you? Hide somewhere, anywhere. Don't let them find you."

"I- …I'm in one of the bedrooms, I'll get under the bed-" He heard movement from the other end and closed his eyes, forcing himself not to imagine her terrified face as she scrambled into her hiding place.

"Okay, here." Her voice sounded further away, quieter, and he realised that she must have left the phone dangling off the side of wherever it was so she could still speak to him.

"Now stay quiet."

Silence fell over and he listened, holding the phone slightly away from his ear as he attempted to get himself to relax, his chest tight. Then he heard the footsteps coming closer and his eyes opened.

Anxiously, he waited. And waited. He could hear voices speaking some kind of different language – he assumed Xingese – and his hand trembled with anger, praying to whatever divine being up above that they wouldn't find her, they wouldn't take her away…

"I-I think they've gone." Her breathy response reached his ear and he thanked whoever had answered his prayers, telling himself that he'd be catching the next train to Xing so he could protect her, treasuring the momentarily relief he felt-

Then he heard her screams echoing down the phone and everything crashed.

"No- NO! Winry- Winry please- can you hear me- NO!" He didn't know what he was shouting anymore and he knew it was no use but all he could hear was her desperate cries for help and he couldn't answer them.

He couldn't save her.

The phone was suddenly picked up and someone was listening. The breathing of a man- one of the men that had taken her.

Ed's eyes narrowed to slits.

"I don't know who you are- but you don't know who you're messing with. I _will _find her. If you leave both of them alone now, then I won't come after you. But if you don't, then I will hunt you down and save her- and I'll kill you. All of you."

He waited until a reply came.

"Good luck."

The phone clicked off and the Fullmetal Alchemist's heart cracked.

* * *

As soon as Winry had seen the hotel room, her face had brightened.

"Paninya look- it's so- big! And so exotic… This is amazing!" They'd both dumped their bags in the silken-sheeted bedrooms and started exploring; the view from the main room's window was almost breathtaking as they'd stood on the balcony, laughing at each other's luck.

"I'd better go call Ed, he'll be practically pulling his hair out by now." Winry had smiled and gone off to her room with a wave from Paninya and a 'tell him I said hi!' before dialling the number, her heart warming from just hearing his voice.

Then everything went wrong.

She could see the balcony from her room and as she talked to Ed, she could seen Paninya standing there, her arms spread out like she was about to start flying or something, breeze in her hair- then Winry noticed a shadow behind her that steadily came clearer as a figure- no wait, two of them, three- and they'd grasped Paninya's arms and lifted her up, ignoring her protesting shouts which became piercing screams.

They were taking her.

At once, Winry's instinct told her that this wasn't... This shouldn't be happening.

She was only dreaming, right?

Ed's voice brought her back to reality and she realised her hands were starting to shake, her legs trembling badly- and the only thing she could do was listen to his words as he told her what to do.

She'd dropped the phone – catching it and letting it dangle by the side of the bedside table so it wouldn't make any noise – before she'd crawled underneath the bed, curling her legs up and keeping her arms in as she tried to hide herself from view, praying they wouldn't find her.

Her gaze was kept on the phone, willing herself to imagine his golden eyes, him sitting there and waiting for her- then the bedroom door had slid open and her eyes squinted shut.

She could hear them talking – some kind of different language that she didn't understand – and then she could see the dark shoes casting shadows in her space, her breath hitching. All they had to do was crouch down and they'd see her…

Then the footsteps moved away and she waited for a moment before she started breathing again, hanging her head slightly with relief.

She thought they'd gone.

Then a pair of hands grabbed her legs and the whole world was pulled out from underneath her as the air filled with her unknowing screams- she screamed for her life.

Somewhere she could hear Ed's voice yelling and her hands automatically reached for him as they clasped her wiggling body down, carrying her along- and the sound of his words got further and further away- she was out the door and they were taking her along down the back of the hotel, the dim lighting making it hard to see-

And eventually, everything faded into darkness.

* * *

**AN: **Poor Win. The first chance of a holiday and she ends up getting kidnapped...


	3. Chapter 3

Edward Elric didn't know a moment which he could think that he'd felt more useless.

The frantic feeling inside him kept building as he explained what had happened to Al; he could feel it stabbing at his heart and he could feel himself cracking, bit by bit.

It was only when his little brother grabbed his arm that he'd stopped pacing and attempting to pull his hair out.

"Brother! We're not helping Winry by doing this!" Al's amber eyes were filled with worry and Ed realised that he was as upset over this as he was.

But it still didn't help.

"Then what do we do? By the time we get to Xing, she'll be gone- we don't even know why or who took her!" Frustration found itself behind his eyes and he blinked back tears- those most certainly wouldn't help.

"Let's call the coronel- I mean the fuhrer. He might know something."

Al watched as Ed practically leapt for the phone – something he never thought he'd see with the man his brother was about to call. But this time, it was different.

Roy didn't even get a chance to voice a 'hello' as Ed started angrily explaining down the phone about the situation, hands clenched at the receiver.

The silence on the other end reminded Ed all too much of the lack of noise before Winry's screams; he forced himself to wait as the shuffling of papers rustled at the other end, anxiously listening for a reply.

"The area that her hotel is in is notorious for the kidnappings of young women." Mustang's tone lacked it's usual snideness in the seriousness of the situation- and then he hesitated.

Ed caught it and he asked. "What happens to them?"

"I don't know if you'll like my answer, Fullmetal."

The blond's reply became sharper. "Tell me. Now."

A few seconds ticked by.

"They're forced into Xing's sex slavery trade."

Silence fell again before the phone fell dead.

* * *

Winry didn't know how long she'd been knocked out but when she opened her eyes, she was in a entirely different world.

Her vision was fuzzy and she felt like she couldn't breathe properly, yet when she tried to feel at her throat, her limbs wouldn't move, dead weights by her sides. She couldn't see Paninya anywhere; only heavy layers of tattered fabric all around her, keeping her boxed inside three curtains, her back against the wall.

She still hadn't recovered when they moved her and despite her best efforts, she couldn't protest. All she could feel was their hard grasps against her arms and legs as they carried her up the stairs, laying her on a bed- she tried to focus on their faces but everything was blurred, a foggy haze throughout her vision. She couldn't think. Couldn't speak.

The smell of sick made her mouth sour and she closed her eyes again, willing everything to go away. But their voices were there, words again that she couldn't understand.

Her eyes cracked open again to see a shadow standing in the doorway and someone spoke in Amestrian.

"She's nice. Very nice. You'll get a high price for her."

Were they talking about her? It seemed like it. Realisation set in as she processed what the man had said- they were going to sell her, like an animal. Like an item.

Her lips parted in an attempt to tell them that she didn't belong to anyone, but nothing came out- and by this time, they had already gone; closing the door behind them to leave her alone in darkness.

Trapped.

* * *

The train was way too slow. It seemed to travel at a snail's pace- Ed was sure that it'd seemed so fast when he was watching Winry fade into the distance. But this was ridiculous- all the time he and Al were wasting getting there, all the time in which she could be hurt in so many ways.

It was killing him inside and there was nothing he could do about it.

His younger brother could only watch the torture that went on until finally his gaze was kept trained beyond the glass beside him, knowing there was nothing he could do to comfort the only family he had left. The fact that Winry could be getting hurt was killing him as well. But with Ed, it was different. They were different.

Because Ed and Winry had something that Al and Winry had never really had. He could see it in both of their eyes- it had developed from the usual brother and sister love. They had pure and undiluted romance; the connection between them was so strong that he thought it might even beat the bond that he and his brother had. They fought and bickered a lot but underneath all the drama, there was something deeper. They both knew it; they just couldn't muster up the way to say it.

So they showed in their own ways. Ed always looked out for her, was always there to comfort her if she got upset in any way; and she did the same. She devoted so much of her time to his automail so he could walk again.

Al could see it whenever golden met blue; and that's why he knew that he couldn't even compare his own torture to Ed's.

Part of him tried to imagine it, but having Mei taken away instead of Winry- but the pain was so bad that he stopped at once. He didn't want to bear those thoughts. He wasn't as strong as his older brother; not in that way.

Al closed his eyes and waited for the journey to end.

* * *

**AN:** Al ships EdWin. Winry ships AlMei. IT ALL WORKS.

I love my FMA canon pairings.


	4. Chapter 4

The capital of Xing was a huge place, bustling markets full of people selling pretty much everything and anything.

Ed couldn't help but study the stalls in front of him and bitterly think how true this fact was.

The fact that they even sold human life here.

Both brothers travelled through the streets until they reached the hotel; sign marked in Xingese, flamboyant in every way.

Ed snorted at the peacock-shaped hedges either side of the entrance's doors. "Looks like this place was designed by Garfiel…"

He promptly shut up as he reminded himself of why they were here.

It didn't take long for them to reach her room. The receptionist knew a little Amestrian and Ed was quite happy to play along with the story that he and Al were here to visit their best friend whilst on holiday, stating she'd forgotten something important; despite the fact that he so desperately just wanted to punch the woman in the face for letting this go on. He could see it in her eyes; she knew what was happening behind her back, and she turned a blind eye to it. The hotel business wasn't the only money she dabbled in.

He realised later, as she raised her right arm to gesture to the stairs, that she did it for herself; her skin was pricked with dark holes. Holes where she'd been injected, where the veins were started to become infected, yet she ignored the signs in aid of the substances that kept her going.

She was a drug addict.

Ed turned away and began to climb the stairs.

He watched as Al inserted the key into the lock before rushing inside, ignorant to the fact that his brother had so quickly stepped out of the way to let him in.

The place was littered with the signs of a struggle.

Straight ahead of them was a balcony, the doors wide open and white curtains billowing in the breeze; a trail of knocked over and smashed objects lay in a track across the room. Ed's boots crunched underneath his feet, tiny pieces of a cheap vase being crushed into even smaller grains.

He turned and made his way down the small corridor to the left, passing the room where Paninya's belongings were carelessly flung; and then he reached her bedroom.

He knew it was Winry's because the first thing he saw was a pair of silver earrings laid out on the side, the sunlight through the window bouncing off them and catching his eyes.

The room appeared spotless, until he steadily walked in and round to the other side of the bed, seeing some of her clothes lying abandoned on the floor from her bag, knocked over in the fight.

Ed's vision hazed over with water and he sat down on the bed, holding his head in his hands. He could still see the intend into the bed where she had sat whilst she'd talked to him, her fingers twirling the phone cord as she laughed, her voice light…

Then he could hear her screams flooding the room; imagine her fear spreading like wildfire throughout the air, thick like smoke- and a single tear fell down his face.

He couldn't let anything happen to her.

"_They're forced into Xing's sex slavery trade."_

He couldn't let her be taken like that.

Her life. Her soul. Her purity.

He felt his brother's presence in the doorway and finally stood, his back still to him.

"We're going to see Ling." His voice was laced with trapped tears.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Al nod before he moved away again.

Her white clothes by his feet caught his eye and he crouched, taking precious moments to scoop them up and place them back into her bag, expression soft.

They smelt like her and it was almost enough to make him start crying again.

He needed her so badly right now to say that everything was okay; then she'd hold him and let him cry. Or he'd do the same for her; he'd hold her close and watch as those crystalline tears fell down her face- then he'd wipe them away and watch as she smiled. That pure, beautiful smile.

But she wasn't here for either of them to comfort each other. The room was empty except for him, her essence gone.

Before Ed went out the room again, he stopped by the pair of earrings, pausing; then he placed them in his pocket and walked out.

* * *

More confusion.

Fog drifted in and out of her vision; she was moving but she couldn't work out how. Or where.

Fresh air eventually crept at her face but it was gone almost in an instant.

She felt hands work at her clothes, stripping her bare to the very core; afterwards, she was still cold. Her skin chilled despite the fact that they'd dressed her in something else. She told herself not to think about what she looked like right now.

Luckily, her blonde hair hid her vision, loose around her shoulders; and as she kept her eyes closed and her mind still, the world kept moving.

* * *

Half of the capital of Xing was taken up by the Emperor's palace, Ed had decided.

Not that he cared, despite Al's awed looks at every single room they passed.

He didn't care about anything else anymore, just the two earrings lying in his pocket, and the person they belonged to.

By the time they'd managed to get to the Emperor's hall, the sun was setting outside.

"Emperor Yao will see you now." The doors opened with a creaking echo and the pair of Amestrians were ushered inside down a royal purple carpet, heading towards the throne at the end of the room, where their old companion sat atop.

"Edward! Alphonse! What a surprise to see you both out here!" Ling's hearty response was only greeted by a scowl from Ed, his eyes avoided.

"We need your help with something. Can we talk?" It was Al that was first to ask; Ed would never be able to word this properly. He was so trapped in his thoughts lately that he hardly spoke at all.

Seriousness set into Ling's face and he nodded, flicking a hand in which all else except him and the two Elric brothers were left in the room.

"I hope you don't mind Lan Fan staying too- she is my bodyguard, after all." The shadowed figure of a young girl – although no-one would be able to tell if not Ed and Al, due to the mask on her face – made her presence known by the throne that her emperor was sat on, trusted gaze trained on the pair of brothers.

Ed only nodded, waving his hand about and stepping forwards to sit on the chair graciously provided by one of the palace's servants.

It was the older brother's turn to speak now.

"Winry's been kidnapped."

Throughout his explanation, Ling's face steadily grew more and more serious, listening to everything with his chin resting against his hands. He could feel Lan Fan steadily growing more upset next to him but ignored it, focusing on the matter; he remembered Winry well. He'd even – if only jokingly – proposed to her a few times, if not only to be refused. It was only when Ed stopped that he realised the furious fire burning in the golden eyes ahead of him.

"The Fuhrer said… she's going to be sold into Xing's- slavery trade." The blond's voice cracked near the end and his head turned sharply, fists clenched at his knees.

The evening wind was the only noise for a few moments and then Ling spoke, straightening upright.

"I don't know much how I can help you; the capital of Xing is a huge place and thousands are sold as slaves everyday. There isn't really anything I can do to stop it; people see it as business. Of course, young Amestrian girls travelling on their own are commonly taken-"

He stopped as he saw the look on Ed's face.

The Fullmetal Alchemist steadily rose to his feet and the Emperor noticed his fists were trembling by his sides, almost unable to meet his gaze again in fear of being burnt.

"How did you feel when Lan Fan had her arm taken from her?"

The question was sharpened yet Ling hadn't expected it.

From beside him, Lan Fan shifted her real arm across to her automail one, almost as if she was reminding herself that it was there.

Ling's gaze hardened.

"You know how I felt."

Ed's response came almost as once, his voice rising in volume.

"Then think about what Winry's about to have taken from her- it's more than just her arm! It's her entire life, her entire _soul_- AND YOU'D LET THAT BE TAKEN? WOULD YOU?"

_Would you? Would you? Would you?_

His voice echoed across the hall until it finally faded to dust, leaving quiet in its wake.

The emperor finally focused and turned away, fists clenched in copy to how Ed's were.

"I'll see what I can do."

Inside Ed's pocket, the pair of silver earrings were beginning to lose their glint.

* * *

**AN:** Drama...

My stomach hurts when I wait for people and I don't know where they are. I wonder if Winry's does too.


	5. Chapter 5

The place where Ling directed them to was some sort of black market; a hidden place right in the very slums of the city, which every single criminal seemed to know about. The streets were littered with drugs and their human remains, filth and squalor that made Ed's instincts tell him to turn and run right back the other way.

Instead he carried on, Al by his side, until they reached the destination they were heading for.

He knocked the door- rapped it once, twice, three times – until finally he just pushed it open, entering with disgust forced back off his face.

A man greeted him at once with a dangerous smile.

"Come to buy?"

Ed held back all the insults waiting to jump off his tongue and simply nodded, following the man down the long corridor.

There were flashes of bodies in front of his gaze; girls sprawled out on beds, their eyes wide open and staring straight ahead, dead to the world; unspeakable acts going on right in the very rooms, acts in which the girls were sold for. And yet, there was nothing he could do to save them. There were so many of them and so little of him; their lives corrupted so easily.

And yet, part of him knew that they were brought up into this. These were Xingese girls. The Amestrian females that he knew had never been exposed to such damage.

Occasionally he'd jump as he saw blonde hair; but it wasn't hers. Just some unlucky girl who'd been dragged into this- just like her.

For every girl he passed, he told himself:_ I'll come back for you. I will save you. Somehow, I will._

Eventually they reached the room at the end of the torturous corridor, just him, Al and the man- that was when he finally snapped, launching himself at the dealer's throat with such venom that he didn't even have enough time to stop the fingers grabbing at his neck.

"You will tell me where I can find a blonde girl with blue eyes- or else I'll-"

"Brother!"

Al's exclamation stopped Ed's hand from sealing itself round the man's throat – he was choking, his face pale – and he released him, letting him fall to the floor, gasping for breath.

"I-I don't know-" There was a crack as a boot slammed it's way into his side and he groaned, curling up in pain.

"Tell me!" Ed's voice became full of frantic command and he yanked the silver watch he'd kept in his pocket, hoping it'd be recognised.

As the man's eyes widened, it was evident that it was.

"I-I- there was a girl- blonde hair, blue eyes, pretty- Amestrian- don't know-"

Ed crouched down next to him, grabbing the front of the grimy shirt he was wearing and pulling him closer, eyes full of fire.

"Where is she."

The man's eyes closed to escape, afraid for his very life; afraid of the fire he saw in this boy's eyes.

This was the fire of his very soul.

"I-I sold her. To the emperor's brother."

He trembled and sagged down on the floor as he was released, watching the red-coated back exit the room with relief.

Ed processed the information as he walked, eventually finding Al in one of the rooms- kneeling next to no other than Paninya; she was spread-eagled out on a bed, her eyes half-staring straight ahead.

"Is she okay?" His heart sunk as a pile of used needles caught his eye on the floor, averting his eyes to the girl on the bed's arms and finding the dots there that he had dreaded seeing.

"I... I'm fine... That you, Ed?" Her voice was so hoarse from her usual lively self that Ed found herself warming to the pickpocket and for a moment, he studied her.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm going to find Winry. You bring Paninya, okay Al?" He waited for his brother's nod of confirmation before he turned, heading outside the room once again.

From the bed, Paninya turned to Al and croaked, fear in her eyes.

"Do you really think he can find her?"

The younger Elric brother paused.

"If anyone can find Winry in amongst all this, it's Ed. There's no doubt about that."

* * *

The world was becoming clearer now. Why this had happened. How it had happened.

It wasn't luck that she'd won the competition. It was fate. Not divine fate - although she wasn't sure if some god had decided to do this to her, even though she couldn't figure out why – this was fate from their hands. The slave dealers.

They'd made her win. Paying for two girls to go to Xing was nothing compared to the price they'd get for a slave like her. This was planned; this was going to happen to her.

And her heart sunk a little more every minute that ticked by as she realised she was closer and closer to whatever they meant to happen to her.

She hadn't seen Paninya at all; didn't know what had happened to her. Part of her was concerned, hoping she was alright; the rest was desperately praying that someone would rescue her before it was too late.

She'd been moved from place to place – watched on, unable to speak as they'd sold her for seemingly ridiculous amounts of money – dressed up in various outfits, whatever seemed to take their fancy – and for once in her life, she cursed her curves and her pale skin and her good looks. They'd stopped giving her drugs after the first day, instead controlling her by means of force. She still had the bruises to prove it.

Perhaps it was only luck that nothing had happened to her yet. She could still see the hungry stares of all the men she'd past; each one wanted to take her and she knew it. They kept calling her 'pure' and she knew what that meant. She knew exactly what it meant.

And it terrified her because it was the only thing that was important; the one thing they could take away from her, and which she'd never get back. It wasn't just something that anyone could have; only one person could have it, even if he didn't know it.

And if he managed to save her from this, he could have all of her. She promised him that.


	6. Chapter 6

"Xie."

Ling had known as soon as the words were out of Ed's mouth; his brother was notorious in the slave trade, despite the various attempts that were taken to try to stop him. The fire blazing in Ed's eyes seemed to grow stronger but Ling only saw them for a moment before the red coat he was wearing was out the door with the rest of him.

Ed ran for her very life, ignoring the fact that Al couldn't keep up, ignoring the protests around him as he dodged people all the way from the palace to the small village where he was headed; he became ignorant to everything except the mission which had taken over his life.

Find her. Save her.

By the time he'd reached the village, he was alone. Al was behind him somewhere and nobody else had followed him. Part of him was relieved; Al could look after himself and this could be dangerous anyway.

Part of him needed to do this on his own.

The Xie clan's village was on the outskirts of the capital. It was small, yet built tall in a circle; many buildings cramped together, making the air seem thick and crowded. He knew he was in the right place almost at once; there were girls lying abandoned on the side in broad daylight as he passed, more signs of drugs and the bastards who sold them, lurking in the shadows.

This was the slum of the city; the closest edge of despair that any person could come to.

He waved off so many attempts at being sold something that in the end he started avoiding people until he reached the place he was looking for.

The center of the village. The chief's mansion.

It was easy to disable the guards; easy to sneak in through the back way until he found what he was looking for. Flashing his State Alchemist's watch about made it easy to get in- he seemed important, and that was what they were looking for. Important people were almost always rich.

It wasn't long before Ed was seated at a table, glass of wine in front of him and surrounded by excited looking men that made him feel sick to the stomach.

The lights dimmed and a woman's voice echoed from somewhere, making him sit up.

"Item one; speaks Xingese…"

Ed closed his eyes and left his ears opened; and he waited.

* * *

Winry was trembling and she couldn't stop.

She knew what was coming now; they'd dressed her up properly this time. She could see jewels from her chest but she didn't want to look. They'd covered her with some kind of decorated cloak; navy with silver swirls. It distracted her to study it but she didn't want to see what was underneath.

Some of the other girls were scared but many of them seemed used to this; almost bored. Just another day being sold. They were the ones that had been taken over and over and over again.

The scared ones were the ones she wanted to comfort. But they weren't allowed to speak. Speaking was punishable.

The queue she was lined up in steadily moved forwards, growing shorter; she could hear a woman's voice from somewhere in front of her, muffled by the heavy black curtain that was separating her from light.

Then it opened and she was pushed forwards, brightness burning her eyes and the silence around her stinging her ears. She could hardly walk herself so two men were guiding her forwards, her feet wobbling from the high heels forced onto her feet; then they pulled the cloak back from her face and her head and her body, exposing her to the world.

She shivered and bowed her head, automatically crossing her arms across her body; they can't see. They shouldn't be allowed to see. It wasn't right- she shouldn't be stripped bare like this, not like this-

They forced her arms back and tears eventually fell down her cheeks, heart thumping in her chest.

Then she heard his voice and everything changed.

* * *

Girl by girl – item by item – passed in front of him, but Ed wasn't looking.

He couldn't bring himself to look at what wasn't his to look at. It wasn't right.

These girls were exposed completely; something they should be able to choose. Only one person, one special person, should be able to see this; the people buying them weren't that special person. They weren't lovers. They were just bastards who were prepared for something they couldn't get any other way. It was love of the fakest kind.

"Now onto our last item – the best until last, as always-"

Ed's eyes opened and he focused on the centre of the table in front of him, eyes skimming across to where it was cleverly set up so the girls could walk out in front of everyone, easy to look at. Easy to make a decision whether to buy or not.

The woman continued speaking.

"Speaks little Xingese, Amestrian, certified pure."

The wooden armrest underneath his hand cracked slightly under the pressure of his fingers.

A figure was brought out, stumbling in high heels, face and body hidden by a navy blue cloak, swirling with silver- then they forced the hood back and the cracks in his heart completely shattered.

It was her.

They'd dressed her up like some kind of doll – wearing something similar to bikini but decorated with jewels, entwining round her neck – her blonde hair hanging down her back and around her face.

But in the end that was all she was to them – a doll. An item. Something to use. Something to play with. Not a living person. She could have been made of fabric and sawdust for all they knew.

And he could see that she knew that. He could see the exposure that she felt as she hugged her arms to her chest, attempting to hide what they shouldn't be seeing, what they had no right to look at- but they took it away from her completely, showing them everything.

It was the tears falling down her face that finally made him stand up.

"I'll take her- I don't care what the price."

Everyone turned to face the mysterious blond's voice as he vibrated throughout the room; eyes blazing like wildfire that could spread and damage at any moment, fists clenched by his sides.

Confusion set in; this wasn't the usual business deal. The bells were used until the highest bidder won.

Yet it seemed like this man was prepared to pay anything for this one single girl.

Another man across the table stood up after studying the item for a moment and matched the fiery gaze with a stone cold one of his own.

"I'll beat your price."

Inbetween them, the item sunk to her knees, head hung and arms crossed herself once again; little did everyone know that her eyes were full of hope. He'd come for her. More tears were falling.

"No you won't. I'd give all the money in the world for her." The wildfire of his eyes spread to his voice and the other man almost fled back, afraid of being burnt.

"But unfortunately, you don't have all the money in the world. Fortunately, I happen to have a large portion of it."

The man raised a hand towards the light and a ring with the royal seal of the Xie clan glinted off it.

That's when Ed realised that his competitor was the leader of the Xie clan himself and his apparent calm split into two.

His hand slammed down on the table and his face contorted, fingers digging into the wood.

"You don't know who you're messing with. I promised that whoever took her from me I would kill. And I always keep my promises."

He lifted his hand and the silver watch of the Amestrian State Alchemists shone in the light.

The following silence was shattered-

Shattered by gunfire.

* * *

His first instinct was to dive for her as the air around them seemed to explode; his reflexes were strong and it was easy for him as he scrambled up onto the table, crawling across towards the trembling blonde and pulling her into his arms.

All around them, the men were fleeing; falling as bullets pierced their bodies and faltered their black little hearts.

Ed could hear her sobbing and he held her closer, not caring about the deaths around them; he only wanted to protect her.

Dust fell with the silence once again and he slowly unfurled his arms, revealing the flower underneath.

"Win... Winry. It's okay now. You're safe."

Her cries seemed louder now that the bangs had stopped; she was buried in him completely, clutching onto his coat for dear life.

"You... came for me..."

Her alchemist gently pulled the cloak by her feet up around her shoulders, tucking it round her. He promised himself that no-one would ever see her exposed again unless she wanted it.

This time, he would keep his promise.

* * *

**AN:** Next comes the pure unadulterated fluff after drama and angst!

Goodie. I do so like writing it.

Also, *'running for her very life' is not a typo. Think about ittttttt.


	7. Chapter 7

She was more beautiful than ever when she was in his arms.

They were back at Ling's palace – one of the best bedrooms, of course – and he wasn't sure how they'd gotten into this position, but he didn't care.

He could see the serenity on her face and he smiled, running his fingers through her hair.

Winry was safe.

Paninya had been found too and was recovering.

It more or less down to his contacts, really. After Ed had rung Mustang that one day, the Fuhrer had dispatched a fleet of his finest military recruits to help rescue the young kidnapped Amestrian girl.

He never abandoned his comrades in the state of battle.

Ling was the same. As soon as Ed had sped out of the palace, he'd ordered some of his soldiers to follow him; the battle that ensued meant that the Fullmetal Alchemist's life – and that of his mechanic – were saved.

The moment that everything was over, Ed had carefully unfurled his arms from around the one that he'd risked everything to protect and took a long look into her eyes.

The blaze wasn't anger anymore; it was love.

And she saw it.

It was only now, back at the palace, her fully-dressed body lying against his, that she finally accepted it.

Winry's eyes opened once more and Ed jumped, his hand by her face pausing, suddenly aware that she was awake.

His mouth opened to speak but her finger was already there, quieting him completely; her hand moved away and her mouth took his.

He'd known all along that he'd been waiting for this moment.

And as he kissed her back, the earrings on her ears finally started to glint again.

* * *

The next few months were spent helping Ling tackle the slave trade in Xing and helping Winry recover.

The black market was in chaos but hundreds of girls' lives were saved as the Emperor Yao sent his soldiers in and told any girl that wanted to come out of the slave trade could train in a special part of the army under his bodyguard's care.

He also issued a warning to any slave traders out there that it was unlawful for any human being to take another one's rights away from them, and declared them banished from Xing if caught.

Meanwhile, back in Amestris, Ed was lying on his bed in his Central apartment with Winry by his side.

She was asleep - seemingly - her head nestled up against his arm and her breath gently tickling his neck, one hand curled around his back and the other resting at his chest; he didn't have the heart to wake her so he watched, almost in awe as the flawlessness of the whole scene in front of his eyes.

It was just him and her.

Al was off in Xing - safe, of course - visiting Mei in her clan and exploring unknown areas. Ed didn't think too hard about that last bit.

He focused once again on the body resting against his and carefully raised his arm, studying the rays of sunshine trickling through his fingers as he ran his hand through her hair.

Part of him shuddered as he thought that, if he hadn't reached her in time, she might not look so pure anymore.

Beside him, Winry murmured, and opened her eyes.

"Ed...?"

His breath hitched for a moment as azure gems fluttered open and he grinned slightly, tugging her closer.

"Afternoon, sleepy."

The blonde turned slightly to glance out the nearby window and groaned, rolling over against him again. Outside, the sun was setting the sky aflame with colour; late afternoon sinking into evening.

"I wasn't really asleep..." She protested and Ed kept up his movements of his hand running through her hair, marvelling at the orange reflecting off the yellowy-gold he found there.

It wasn't until she spoke again that he finally stopped- in fact, it made him freeze.

"It's exactly three months today..."

He knew what she meant exactly, as soon as she said it. Three months to the day that she was taken from him. That she was kidnapped.

Ed sighed and pulled her closer, nestling his nose in her hair.

"I know... But it's okay. I'm not letting you go anywhere without me next time."

His voice was the confirmation that she needed.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, you know." Her voice dropped to a murmur and he smiled, continuing to hug her close.

"I promised myself that if you rescued me, you could have me."

It took him a moment to realise what she had said.

"Have you?" Ed's voice was quieter than usual, filled with confusion.

"All of me. I was thinking that... because I was obviously going to be a slave in that sort of area... it wasn't right... for me not to choose who took it from me. And I decided... if it had to be anyone... it would be you."

Her head inclined upwards with questioning, only to find that her alchemist's cheeks had flushed bright red.

"Y-You mean-?" She could feel his heart thumping quicker against his rib cage, amusing her.

Nestling down again, she ignored his question, closing her eyes once more. "Just letting you know that you can have me."

Ten seconds later, his lips were against hers, and by the next morning, she felt utterly and simply... complete.

Whatever else that had been taken away from her had been restored.

* * *

**AN:** THE END.

I can't write lemons. I kept thinking about it and I can't. Maybe one day...

...Sigh.

Sorry if the ending is disappointing. Might add more to it... one day...

ALSO I ACTUALLY MANAGED TO FINISH A FANFIC. GO ME.

Reviews/comments are awesome and you are awesome if you're reading this. Believe it.


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